Arrested twice in two weeks, bail revoked

Penticton residents experiencing property crime fatigue and the perception of a loss of trust in the court’s administration of justice were some of the reasons why an alleged repeat offender had his bail revoked.

Jason Richard Van Raes, who was arrested twice in a matter of two weeks for property crimes, appeared in front of Judge Greg Koturbash on Monday at Penticton provincial court facing a reverse onus.

“The third consideration is the prevalence of crime around Penticton. Penticton sir, is getting fatigued of property crime. Although you have not been convicted, a property crime is alleged to have been committed as well as several other instances of property crime,” said Koturbash.

Other considerations included the seriousness of the offences, which Koturbash said many of the matters can carry the potential of federal time.

Van Raes was in court for seven different file numbers that contain 11 charges dating from July 23 to Aug. 28, including two arrests in two weeks while he was on bail.

Those charges start with an alleged break and enter at the Okanagan Falls IGA. RCMP responded to an alarm call at 3:09 a.m. and eventually arrested Van Raes, finding a knife in a sheath on his waist and a wrench.

Bags of grocery store items, estimated at around $1,500, including chocolate and cigars, were found near the door. A backpack full of break and enter tools was also discovered in the store. He was released on a promise to appear.

Oliver RCMP pulled over a truck that Van Raes was driving on Aug. 10 that had been reported stolen a few days earlier, from a compound of an electrical business. A logo on the door had been spray painted and it also had a generator in the back that had been stolen. RCMP said the ignition had been punched in and the VIN number matched that of the stolen truck.

On Aug. 14, a homeowner on Vancouver Avenue reported a break and enter and that the suspect attempted to steal his truck that was parked nearby. Crown counsel Andrew Vandersluys alleged Van Raes had “ransacked” the house stealing several items leaving them in the driveway. The homeowner pulled up and immediately noticed something was wrong and called 911 when he heard the garage door open. The homeowner told police that he saw Van Raes with three bags of stolen household items in his hands in the driveway and when he confronted him, Van Raes threatened him with a hatchet. Van Raes is then alleged to have attempted to steal the homeowners truck before fleeing on foot. The owner’s dash camera caught several images of Van Raes that were then used to help identify him leading to his eventual arrest outside of his residence.

Van Raes appeared in court on Aug. 20 but was released on bail with 10 conditions, including not to be in a vehicle without the registered driver or only with their written permission and to not be in possession of break and entry tools. On Aug. 25 he was arrested for allegedly breaking into a vehicle.